Her Name was Nona, but We Called Her Hedwig
by amouretteelizabeth
Summary: Remus' days at Hogwarts were never quiet - with The Marauders as his friends, how could they be? Among the Marauders was their friend, Nona - a strange yet uplifting girl who never failed to make them laugh. Remus recounts his school days with The Marauders, Nona, Lily, Hestia and Mary, and how his unexpected friendships turned his life around. A/N: REWRITE. Please read and enjoy!
1. Prologue - Beginnings

**A/N**: _This is a rewrite of my old Nona series that were /terribly/ written. Here, I am attempting to clean up mistakes and redeem myself of the crappy writing of my fourteen year old self._  
_Another reason for my writing is that I believe it will provide me with an outlet for my stress and anxiety which have caused me to fall back into depression. I'm not going to set a date for when I upload, and I will just get to it when I can in order to prevent myself from becoming overly stress._

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**_P_**_rologue_**_ - B_**_eginnings_

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Let's start off with a small introduction – hi, I'm Remus Lupin. This is not a diary. Not in any shape or form is this a diary. It is more of a tale of accounts that happened throughout my years at Hogwarts. Now, what you need to understand primarily is the situations my friends and I faced during our years. You also need to understand my friends. So, here is a brief summary of the people who I held – and still hold – close to my heart.

James Potter: Captain of the Quidditch team, head over heels in love with Lily, a lover of pranks and has some weird obsession with chocolate cake. He loves it.

Sirius Black: He was never just a friend, but we'll get to that later. He was a bit of an anarchist, which is why he and his parents fell out so often. Like James, he loved playing pranks. He had a motorbike, which I still think is pretty cool.

Peter Pettigrew: small, mousey, and never quite on the same page. Though if given the chance, he could pull of quite the trick. He was a very talented liar – could get us out of trouble any day of the week, which I guess is why James and Sirius kept him around.

Lily Evans: a hot, firey red head who would not take any shit bad treatment from anybody. She does not in any way, shape, or form tolerate liars. She has a heart of gold, and loves everyone who treats her right.

Mary McDonald: I didn't ever fully know Mary, but one time she and Sirius got quite cosy… She and Lily were best friends, and it was because of her... friendship with Hestia Jones that I came to understand who I was. I remember her death destroyed Hestia, I don't know how she quite marched on from that. I don't know how I did it.

Nona Penton: you can't describe Nona, no matter how hard you tried to. She was truly a riddle wrapped in a mystery. Despite the tough persona she gave off, she was quite a softie (at least I think she was. Of all the years I knew her, I never fully understood her). She and James were on the Quidditch team together – they were the true definition of team mates.

Sadly, all these people are dead now – and I will soon be too. There are times were I wished and I could have done something to help them, to save them. But now I realise that there is nothing I could have done, not for James, not for Sirius, not for Peter or Lily, or Mary and Nona. Not for any of them.

I guess their deaths were 'written in the stars' so to speak.  
But this is their story.

Their lives, their deaths, and everything in between. I loved them all, and I want to take this chance to commemorate them. For every flaw they had, and every beautiful thing they did - and stupid for that matter. They were brave souls who deserve to be remembered.

I guess their deaths were 'written in the stars' so to speak.

But this is their story. This is for them, but also for me. This is my way of finding closure.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Journey to Hogwarts

_**C**hapter **1** - **T**he **J**ourney **t**o **H**ogwarts_

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The summer before I began Hogwarts. Since the... Incident, my parents thought I would never have a chance of going to Hogwarts, my father thought he would have to train me himself - which is not uncommon for children like me (not that there are many). My mother had it all planned out, though a muggle, she knew exactly where my father would train me, and how they would keep it secret. We lived on the edge of small villages, moving around across the whole of Yorkshire after our neighbours began to notice my disappearances. The last time we moved was in the August of 1971, just weeks before I began my time at Hogwarts. My parents. I saw it as a chance for friends, having had a lonely childhood because of the moving, and my father forbidding me to play with other children. It was hard, but my mother, Hope, entertained me with stories of superheroes in capes from mystical lands, and stories of detectives and hobbits. Her undying love got me through my exceedingly lonely years as a child. She cried the day Dumbledore came to visit us - whether they were tears of joy or sadness, I'll never know.

The morning of the first September marked an emotional one. My father got me up at seven, and I awoke to find my mother had made mountains of pancakes and waffles, with every possible topping available. They were both visibly proud of me, and my mother cried at the thought of me going away. Later that morning, my father apparated myself and my mother to the station. We were there almost an hour early, but they didn't care - they never thought this day would come, and as a result my mother took countless of photos of me with my things on the platform (my personal favourite, now that I look back on it, was the one with myself and my Toad, Rodger). Slowly, more and more people turned up.

"You will be safe, won't you?" My mother said, crouching down to my height, brushing brown hair out of my face. "And you _will_ write us, won't you? I want to hear about all your experiences at Hogwarts, your father has told me so much of it and his experiences, I want to hear yours."

I nodded, smiling shyly at her. She pulled me into a tight hug, before letting out a sob and withdrawing. My father took her hand before clapping me on the shoulder, the way he smiled showed he was proud of me - which meant more to my eleven year old self than any words he could ever say. The sound of the train rolling in and coming to a stop made my mother jump before she smiled at me - half happy, but also half sad.

We hugged goodbye before I made my departure. I found the first room I could, waving viciously from the window at them. As the train pulled away, I slumped down onto the cushioned seat, my bags on the seat beside me. It was me alone in the cart room, rocking slightly from side to side as the train bumbled along. I must have fallen asleep at some point during the journey, because when I awoke their was a girl sitting opposite me staring out the window. When she noticed I had awoken, she shot a flashy smile at me, making me feel somewhat nervous.

"You can go back to sleep if you like," she said, sitting so she was cross-legged on the cushioned seating. "The quiet is nice. Like... It's nice to have a break from my brother's loud voice." She grinned at me, as if I knew what she were talking about. Her hair was short and blonde, and she had dark, brown eyes that felt as if you were staring into the abyss when you looked into them. "I'm Nona," she held out a hand. "First year."

I reluctantly took her hand, giving it a small shake before withdrawing. "Remus..." I said, shuffling awkwardly in my seat. Years of isolation hadn't been so kind on my social skills and I. I wasn't sure how exactly to handle her booming confidence and demanding voice. "I'm also a first year."

"Brilliant!" Nona exclaimed excitedly, bouncing in her seat. "I thought so, you're very small - but then again, I've always been quite tall, so I guess people are just small compared to me." She wrinkled her nose after speaking before grinning. I still didn't know how to react to her - I had never met anyone quite this confident before in my life. Unless my mother counted. But in this case, she didn't. Nona had gone back to staring out the window in awe, watching the scenery whizz by. "I've never been outside London before." She suddenly said, her voice suddenly very quiet. "I really want to know what the country is like. So far, it seems very green." She laughed, throwing back her head as she did. I came to notice this was something she did - every time she laughed, even if it was just a small giggle, she would tip her head back.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. I remained like that for a good minute before I managed to choke the words out, "I live in the countryside." I blurted, catching the blonde's attention. "In a small village in Yorkshire. Like really small. So small you go in one end and you can see where to leave from." I was rambling, it was something I did when I didn't know what to do. She simply laughed at me, grinning wildly.

She had been about to speak when we were interrupted by two black-haired boys falling into the room, laughing the heads off as the rolled about on the floor. Nona shot them both a very quizzical look, raising a blonde eyebrow at them. Their laughter continued to shake the carriage, and my gaze flickered from Nona to the two mystery boys were continued to cackle on the floor. Once they stopped laughing, they sat up, wiping tears from their eyes and taking a few deep breaths; it was then Nona uttered the immortal words that became an inside joke between the four of us:

"Your head looks like a hedgehog in shock."

The spikey haired boy stood up, dusting himself off and standing a little straighter. "I'll have you know that I'm part hedgehog. On my great grandfather's side. He ended up as cutlets for the Minister of Magic, and a tasty memory for everyone - the recipe has been handed down from generation to generation."

"Is that why you're so short then?"

The cart was silent for a few moments before it erupted into laughter. I don't think I had ever laughed so much before that moment - I had never been in a situation to laugh so much. I formed an attachment to them after this moment, and we hadn't even introduced ourselves yet. The longer haired boy took a seat next me, the other sitting opposite, grins still present on their amused faces.

"Lets get down to introductions then, shall we?" The longer haired boy said, clapping his hands together. "The name's Sirius. No, my middle name isn't 'Lee'." I chuckled at this, feeling my face turn hot. I felt a little nervous - I had never been around so many people my age. I had no idea what to say or what to do. I was going to end up rambling in a minute, like I had done earlier.

The other boy began to speak. "I'm James." He said, a smirk present on his face. "Gonna be a Gryffindor like my parents. Sirius here's trying to defy the tradition of the Black's being in Slytherin, aren't ya, Sirius?"

"You'd be right about that, Potter." Sirius said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "Someone needs to change the ways, why not me? Don't wanna be another sheep." He laughed at this, grinning wildly.

"A Black, huh? I've heard of you guys." Nona suddenly said, leaning forward. "Rumour has it your parents are rich, purist jerkfaces. Well that's what my aunt says." Nona shrugged, offering Sirius a small smile. "But hey, defy tradition all you want, Sirius." The smile remained and Nona stood, leaning over to shake Sirius' hand. "The name's Nona, by the way. Both my dad and my aunt were a Hufflepuffs. My mum went to Beauxbatons, but I wanna be a Gryffindor like my brother."

They all looked at me, and I could feel my nerves piling up. I could have sworn at that moment I was about to spontaneously combust - so what did I do?

"Remus. Remus Lupin. Don't really care about houses, though I'd like to be in Ravenclaw. Or Gryffindor. Both are equally good. I don't consider myself brave, though. I'm more smart than brave." I paused. Was that too modest? "But I'm not completely that out about it. My mum just read to me a lot as a kid. I like to read because of her. She's a muggle. I'm half-blood. She met my dad when he rescued her from a boggart."

And that is how I formally introduced myself to 3 of my friends. Don't worry, I got slightly better at the introductions over the years. Only slightly.

James raised his eyebrows. "Right..." He mumbled, shifting in the seat so he sat cross-legged on the red velvet. It was that moment the small, plump blond boy we later came to know as Peter Pettigrew asked if he could sit with us; James created a space for him to sit next to him. We spent the next few hours laughing and chatting, listening to tales of Nona's holidays to France (her mother was French) and stories of how her brother was an idiot; how Sirius liked to prank his parents, and how many times he had been locked in his room for drawing a mustache on the portrait of his great aunt Violetta Black. While we did laugh at the stories back then, now I look back on them they all indicated that Sirius didn't have a happy childhood. It was something he never went into great detail with until he went to live with James in our sixth year.

When we were about half an hour from our destination, Nona wandered off to get changed. I panicked right there and then, but I managed to mask it - I didn't want them to see the scars from what my transformation left on me. Especially the ones on my chest, where the scratches had been the deepest and most painful. I decided to duck out to find the bathrooms - the boys found it odd (though they never explicitly said so), but they let me go. I locked myself in a cubicle, getting changed as quickly as I could. I tried to ignore the newer scars - the ones that had yet to fade and were the horrible, pale purple colour. Shaking my head, I focused on changing. I finished, having taken longer than I intended to do my tie.

Back in the compartment, they all had finished changing and were putting their clothes away into their trunks. "How far away are we now?" I asked, moving through them to my truck, storing my clothes away.

"About fifteen minutes. Not far now." Peter said in his wheezy, high-pitched voice. "You guys excited?"

"Are you kidding? I've been wanting to come here since my brother started!" Nona said, bouncing on the heels of her feet. "What do you think sorting's like? I'm _so_ nervous over it! Apparently you have to fight a troll. That's what Edmond told me."

The blood drained from my face at this. Sirius shook his head, laughing at Nona. "Nah, won't be anything like that, Nona. What happens is that you sit down and the headmaster does some weird magic trick and decides where you belong. Nothing major."

I was nervous from both these statements, my stomach lurching from the nerves that ran up and down my body. I wanted to be in the same house as the four people in this compartment would be. They were my friends now, and I wasn't going to be shaken from them easily. Besides, they seemed to like me. I wasn't going to risk that now.

A booming voice echoed throughout the train, telling us that we were five minutes away from Hogsmeade station and Hogwarts. We sat in silence for the last five minutes until the train came to a shivering halt. Swallowing hard, I stood. Nona clapped me on the shoulder, offering me a small smile. "C'mon, Remus." She said, leading the way out of the compartment. The five of us stumbled out on to the platform, shivering in the cool September breeze that blew through the station.

A loud voice boomed over us, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. "Firs' years! Firs' years! Firs' years over here! C'mon now, firs' years, follow me!"

My jaw dropped at the sight of the man. He was huge - his name was Hagrid, I later learned. A half giant with big, bushy hair and a booming voice. Stumbling behind Hagrid, we followed him down a steep, narrow path, lined by what I could only assume to be trees. The dark consumed everything, and all I could see of Hagrid was the yellow glow from the lantern he carried with him.

"Ye'll see the firs' sight o' Hogwarts after this bend!" He called over his shoulder, and sure enough just moment later, we did. Gasps followed seeing the view of the castle that was perched on top of a mountain, windows glowing yellow and its pillars met the starry sky. I was captivated by the view of Hogwarts, and I could have happily stood their and stared for hours on end. I was interrupted by Hagrid's booming voice: "no more'n four to a boat!" He called, pointing to a fleet of small little boats. I turned to the other four, swallowing hard.

"You boys stick together, I'll find some others." Nona smiled, waving her hand at us. "See you at sorting!" She skipped off, asking a red haired girl if she could join her and her friend in their boat. Nodding once, I climbed into the small wooden boat, helping Peter in next. James and Sirius hopped in without a care. Then, at Hagrid's command, the boats all lurched forward at once. We travelled toward the castle, and we all stared in silence, ducking when Hagrid yelled at us to.

We reached a small, underground harbour, where we all clambered out of the boats onto the rocks and pebbles that lined the shore. The next time I got to take those boats was on my last day of Hogwarts in my seventh year, on the way out for the final time. A few moments later we were reunited with Nona, who had two girls and another boy at her side.

"Guys, this is Lily, Hestia and Severus. Lily and Severus let me and Hestia take their boat with them." She beemed. "Lily, Severus, Hestia, these are Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius."

"I know who James and Sirius are. Sorry Nona, but me and Severus are going to walk ahead. Talk to you later?" The girl who had been introduced as Lily said to Nona.

"Yeah. Laters, Lily." Nona smiled, leaving just us and Hestia. We walked on, soon coming to the large, oak doors at the entrance of Hogwarts. My stomach lurched from the nerves. I watched Hagrid raise a gigantic fist, knocking three times on the doors that swung open almost immediately. A woman stood there in emerald green robes, her black hair tied back into a tight bun.

"The firs' years." Hagrid told her.

"I will take them from here, Hagrid. Thank you." She nodded, before looking to all of us. "Follow me, everyone!"

We obliged, stumbling over robes that were too long for us, pushing against each other. I stared in awe as we entered, watching the ghosts fly in and out, watching the paintings watch us, the stone walls stood like soldiers with flaming torches hanging off them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, marching along with us close behind her. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, however before you take your seats you will be sorted into your houses. This Sorting Ceremony is extremely important as while you are here, your house will be almost like a family. The houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

She came to a stop outside another large, oak door. "Wait here, I will alert the headmaster of your arrival, and then I will come and collect you, and you will be sorted." She disappeared behind the doors, and we all erupted into chatter.

"Where do you think we will end up?" Hestia asked, brushing her dark, brown hair out of her face. "I want to be in Gryffindor, like my parents before me. I hope I am as brave as they are, that would be awfully nice." I nodded, not having much to say. I was simply nervous for the Sorting - however they did that. Confused and scared, I rocked back and forth on my feet until the Professor came back.

"You may come through now." She said, opening the wide doors behind her to reveal the golden great hall. I stared in awe at the hall, never having imagined such a splendid, yet strange, place. It was lined with four tables, and another table heading the hall, which I could only assume sat the teachers. We came to a halt just before the teacher's table, and before us sat a stool with a hat placed on top of it. I almost fell back when the hat started to sing, confused as to how on earth it spoke. Nona leaned forward, whispering in my ear: "We just have to try on a hat! Remind me to kill Edmond!"

"When I call your name, you will come up and take a seat on the stool, and I will place the hat on your head. The hat will sort you, and once you are sorted you are to go and sit in your allocated house." The professor said, unraveling the scroll in her hand and calling out the first name: "Alcott, Adrian!"

A small boy with dirty blonde hair stumbled up the steps, taking a seat on the stool - almost immediately, the hat called out: "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw house applauded and cheered. I swallowed harshly, clamping my eyes shut. How long did I have until I was sorted? I tried not to think about it, but that was hard when it was right in front of you.

"Black, Sirius!" I watched Sirius, stride up the steps, and despite the confident exterior, it was plainfully obvious that he was nervous. It wasn't until later that I fully understood why he refused to be like his parents.

The hat was silent for what felt like an eternity, before finally calling out: "GRYFFINDOR!"

Like the Ravenclaw table had, the Gryffindors cheered and applauded, perhaps even more so than the Ravenclaws had done. I applauded too, feeling a sense of pride at Sirius' sorting.

A few names later, it was Lily's turn. I watched the red-head stumble up the steps to the hat, and barely seconds after it touched her dark red hair it yelled: "GRYFFINDOR!"

More cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table, and I watched Sirius move over to make a space for her. She ignored him, sitting down next to a prefect. The roll call continued, and before I knew it, it was my turn. I heard James whisper "good luck, Remy," in my ear. I gulped, and went to take a seat on the stool. Quietly, the hat started speaking to me.

"Hmm..." It seemed to say. "Interesting, interesting. I see courage, but also a brilliant mind - an overwhelming sense of loyalty and trust is there too. Hmm... Where to put you, Remus Lupin?"

I swallowed hard, feeling like I was on display for the entire world to see. It felt like it had been hours when the Sorting hat finally called out: "GRYFFINDOR!"

Relieved, I hurried down to join Sirius and Lily at the table as the table cheered for me. It was an odd feeling, but I knew they wouldn't be cheering if they really knew me. Sirius clapped me on the back. "Congratulations, Remus." He grinned before the hall fell silent and the roll call continued. We were later joined by Hestia, followed by Mary MacDonald, before having Nona, Peter, and James join us.

Dinner dragged on, and before any of us knew it we were being led off to our dormitories. We climbed the moving stairs, trying not to fall down them or step in the trick step. It was a routine the others and I came to know off by heart over the years. We were all tired from the travelling and over-eating, and as soon as Sirius' head hit the pillow he was fast asleep. I was the last of the boys to fall asleep. I was too distracted to sleep, my mind focusing on the days ahead of me: how was I going to hide my monthly disappearances from them? I would lose the new friendships forever if they ever found out about my condition. It was embarrassing, completely disgusting.

I fell asleep thinking those thoughts, too frightened to tell them anything. I wouldn't, I refused to. I couldn't the only friends I'd ever had. I simply couldn't.

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**A/N: Hiya! Feels like it's been ages since I've written anything. I actually missed Remus loads! I loved writing this series the first time around, and re-writing it makes me so happy! I'll try to update every few weeks! For now, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review! **

**Amourette**


	3. Chapter 2 - Full Moons, Pranks and Pebbl

**A/N:** I forgot to do the disclaimer, so here we go: everything belongs to JK Rowling, all except for my OC Nona.

Anyways, here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

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_**C**hapter **2** - **F**ull **M**oons, **P**ranks **a**nd **P**ebbles_

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Our first day was not as eventful as some might think; in all honesty, for the first two weeks we all managed to stay out of trouble. Myself, Peter, James and Sirius sat together in classes and banded together to help each other out. At this point in time, us and Nona weren't close friends. She had formed a friendship with Hestia, Mary, and Lily - though sometimes it would just be her, Hestia and Mary as Lily would go off to hang out with Snape. You didn't have to be close with the three girls to tell they weren't overly fond of Snape, it was obvious on their faces when he was around them or he and Lily would go off. They tried to put up with him for Lily's sake, which was more anyone could ask of them. Throughout Hogwarts, Snape had a strong hold on us - his presence provoked Sirius and James the most out of all of us, and James found it hard to cope with him around. They bullied each other. Snape was good at getting a reaction from James, even over the most trivial of things.

On the second Sunday of our first month at Hogwarts, I found myself down by the lake with James, Sirius, Peter and Nona, who had joined us while Hestia and Mary finished off work in the Library and Lily slept off a stomach bug in the Hospital Wing. Nona and Peter stood by the lake, skipping pebbles across the water - something Peter was trying to teach Nona how to do. James and Sirius joined in after a few minutes, just to spite Nona who just couldn't get the hang of it; I sat by the tree, laughing at them and watching the blonde become easily frustrated at the pebbles. I was dragged into the lake by James, who thought it might be funny to see what happened if he pushed me over. He spent the minutes after that apologising relentlessly.

That was one of the better memories of the month. Just a few days into my first term at Hogwarts, the first full moon was due. For four days straight I was desperately trying to think of an excuse to tell them about my sudden disappearance. Now, the important thing to remember about full moons is that they only last for one night each month - the day before and after are only partial moons, and are not completely full, so therefore I do not transform for a few days in a row, though it does make me ill for the days before and after. However it isn't always like this - sometimes you get a full moon for two days in a row, maybe more. The lunar cycle is hard to predict, but with the help of my father we managed to keep a track of the cycles.

The night before the first full moon I was to meet Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing. I put my pajamas in a bag, along with my tooth brush and clean underwear. I was trying to be discreet, but Sirius came into the room and saw me packing. A confused look crossed his face, and he stared at me long and hard for a few minutes, his eyebrow cocked and his lips pursed together in thought. "You going somewhere?" He asked, tilting his head to a slight angle.

Without much thought, I said the first thing that came to my head. "Mum's... Mum is pretty sick. I need to go visit her. Because she's... Sick. She has Scrofungulus. She's had for a while, actually - but I have to go visit her." I rambled, nodding my head after. That seemed like a coherent story. Though Scrofungulus wasn't life threatening, it could last for several years or so. My aunt had had it when I was young, so I vaguely knew what it did. I didn't even know if muggles could catch the disease.

Sirius nodded, not believing entirely what I said, but let is slide. "Right. Well, tell your mum to get well soon. Scrofungulus is a crappy disease, mate. My great aunt had it once, it was nasty."

I nodded. "Well. I better be going... Then." I said, slinging my backpack onto my soldier. "See you a few days. Tell the others I'm visiting my mum." I said, going for the door. "Also, um, can you get the homework I'm gonna miss for me?" I asked Sirius, who took a deep breath before nodding and mumbling that he would. "Thanks, Sirius."

I got a bit lost, but soon enough I made it to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey took my bag and sat me down on the edge of the bed, explaining to me what would happen tonight; she would take me to the Whomping Willow that had recently been planted on the grounds, and through the secret tunnel underneath she would take me to a small shack a few miles out of the school and Hogsmede, where I would transform and spend the night. She would collect me in the early hours of the morning before class started.

As the sun began to go down, she led me to the tree, picking up a nearby stick and jabbing a knot on the tree, making it come to a halt. "Quickly," she ushered at me, hurrying me to the tree and down the small hole. "_Lumos."_ She whispered, leading the way to the shack where I was to spend my night as a hideous beast. The underground tunnel smelt wet and as if it were rotting away; a cold breeze brushed passed us and a shiver ran down my spine as I trudged over hard mud. We reached the end of the tunnel, and Madame Pomfrey pushed open a door. "This is where you will spend your transformations for the rest of your time at Hogwarts." She said, guiding me in. "I wish there was something I could do to help you, Remus. But unfortunately this safe house is all I and the other teachers can provide you with. See you in the morning." She turned to leave, closing the door and bolting it shut behind me.

I sat on the floor, bracing myself the the eventual change that would leave me with new cuts and scars.

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I was awake when the sun came up. I was awake when Madame Pomfrey came for me. She helped me up, and half-carried me from the shack. My entire body was in pain, and I could feel the blood dribbling down my right leg. I hobbled back to the school, Madame Pomfrey helping me all the way; lucky for us, no student was up yet, so no one spotted me being dragged through the school covered in my own blood and bite marks.

Madame Pomfrey stitched my leg up and cleaned my wounds, for which I was grateful. She had drawn the curtain around me, so no one could see me. It was a tough day as I was examined and cleaned up from the previous night. Thankfully, that was to be the only full moon that month, and I couldn't be happier for that.

The Hospital Wing wasn't my favourite places- it had that almost minty-bleach smell, and the beds weren't as comfy as the ones in my dorm. They were harder, and tougher to sleep on, not to mention smaller. It's tough going back to a smaller bed after sleeping in a seemingly giant one that feels like a marshmellow when you jump onto it; but still, I slept. I mean, I had to. The thing that I turn into doesn't sleep, so I have to right after I've become me again. It's hard doing this, but I've put up with it since I was seven. I'm used to it now. Or at least I tell myself and others that.

I've always found the recovery from the transformation the worst. You don't notice the pain when you're in full transformation. Maybe that's because it isn't your body. It's just a thing that happens to inhabit it and comes out once a month, but it was something I learned to deal with as I grew older.

On Tuesday morning, I woke up in the stiff hospital bed, pushing myself into a sitting position using my elbows. Every inch of me ached, and a collapsed back on to the bed. I didn't have the energy to do much, let alone sit up. I lay there for a while, hungry and tired, staring at the ceiling. The solitude was nice. I got to count the patterns above my bed for a while, but I was starting to miss my books, and more importantly the boys from my dorm, who had so easily accepted me as my friend I was worried about losing them.

By Wednesday evening I had returned to the common room. Madame Pomfrey had wanted to keep me under her eye, so to make sure none of the wounds got infected, and to make sure the one on my neck properly healed before I went back. I forced myself to walk properly despite the twinge I would feel in my leg as I walked along. I refused to limp, I didn't want anyone to think anything was up; they couldn't know anything was up. At this present time, someone finding out my secret would be the worst thing possible. It's my secret, no one else's.

I had been laying on my bed with a book open when the others returned. It was one my mother had lent me - it was about a muggle detective, and it was a story she had enjoyed as a kid. I sat up when they walked into the room, sitting cross legged and facing the boys. I tried to sound a little more cheerful than I was feeling, muttering a "hi" as they filed into the room.

"Remus! You're back! How's your mum?" Peter asked, jumping onto my bed next to me. "Sirius told us. Oh! I got your History of Magic homework too, Sirius and James weren't paying attention." I smiled. Peter was always enthusiastic about history of magic - it became his favourite subject, and the only one his thought he was going to pass. "Nona complained all the way through, but I think she secretly enjoys it."

I heard Sirius laugh, catching my attention. "Seems like Peter's got a crush on Nona." Sirius smirked, and Peter's face went red.

"I DO NOT." He argued, his face flushed from the attention. "I don't have a crush on her! Girls are gross. They have germs."

I laughed with James and Sirius, and Peter buried his face in his hands. "Leave him alone guys, you've embarrassed him." I laughed, patting Peter on the back. I later learned that Peter, like me, was not used to the concept of friendship. He worshiped James, Sirius, Nona, and me all because we treated him like a person, something he wasn't used to at home.

"My mum is doing okay, Peter. Healer's have seen to her, and she should be better soon." I hated lying. I wasn't even a good liar... I was a terrible liar. Everyone knew it, and I think it's why they came to suspect me as the years grew on.

"Good to hear, Remy!" James chirped, crouching down and pulling out his suitcase from under his bed. Opening it, he searched through until his pulled out of Ginger Snap biscuits. Sitting on the floor, James busted open the packet and began to ear them. He was well into the third biscuit when he caught us staring at him. "What?" He said, his mouth full with half-chewed up biscuits.

"You gonna give us any?" Sirius chuckled, reaching to snatch the packet from him, but James hissed and smacked his hand away, glaring at him. "I'll take that as a no..." Sirius said, his voice trailing off as he retreated to his bed.

"My ginger snaps. Get your own, Sirius."

* * *

I managed to catch up with all my work, but this included late night study sessions in the common room before James and Sirius would have to drag me back to bed. They said it wasn't healthy, but I felt like I needed to catch up and stay on top of my work. Dumbledore had given me the opportunity of a lifetime, I couldn't let him down, and for a long time that was my main driving force behind my work. Not letting Dumbledore down, or my parents for that matter.

It was a Thursday night, and Peter had long gone to bed, Sirius and James were squabbling over a crossword by the fire, and I was sitting in the corner of the common room, my history of magic work out in front of me. Now, History of Magic was not a strong subject for me - I found it impossible. Mostly because it was boring. But also because it was a tough subject. But it being boring was enough of a reason to hate it.

"History of Magic, huh?" A voice said, and I looked up to see Nona standing over me reading over what I had written. "Boring, but you got the date for the first Gargoyle strike wrong. It was the first of March 1911, not the first of May." She flashed me a smile, before taking a seat next to me. "We haven't spoken since sorting, have we? Weird. You finding Hogwarts alright?"

It was a lot to take in at first, but I smiled back at her and nodded. "Yeah... I guess. I had to go home for a few days, my mum's sick, you see, so I'm just catching up on work now." I shrugged, putting my pen down and leaning against the table. "But yeah... Professor Binns is just... He's so dull. And he looks like a tortoise."

Nona laughed, her head tilting back slightly. "He is. Edmond thinks he's too old to teach... I know he's boring, but at least he knows his stuff. He's lived some of the stuff we learn about. He's that old."

This time, I was the one who laughed. "Do you think we'll ever get a new History of Magic teacher? Like, someone who doesn't make me want to take a nap during the lesson?" That wasn't strictly true - while I didn't exactly like History of Magic, I did work my absolute hardest in the lessons, unlike James or Sirius. James didn't listen, but he did the work - Sirius just didn't care.

"I don't know. Either way, it doesn't matter. I don't think anyone could make that subject exciting." Nona grinned, getting up from her seat. "I'll see you in potions tomorrow, Remus. My bed is calling me." And with one last smile and a wave, Nona skipped off up the stairs to the girls dormitory. I sat staring at the entrance to the stairway over my shoulder for a minute or so, before returning to my work. I had barely gotten two words written when James and Sirius bumbled over to me, wide grins on their faces.

"You know you two look exactly the same when you do that?" I raised my eyebrows at them, closing my book once again. "What is it, you two?"

"Right." Sirius started, plonking himself down when Nona had been sat a few minutes before hand. "Severus Snape."

"What about him?"

"He may have... Pranked James while you were away." Sirius said, and James turned red.

I stared at them. "How, exactly?"

"He charmed my boxers to give me a wedgie." James blurted, putting his head on the table. "I'm so ashamed."

I let that sink in for a moment before erupting in laughter, caushing James to kick me from under the table. "Remus, it's not funny!" He protested, but I continued to laugh. "C'mon, it's not that funny - it was just a wedgie!"

After a few deep breaths, I calmed myself down. "Right - why are you telling me this?" I asked, leaning against the table. "Snape obviously doesn't like you, James. You should get over it and move on."

James pursed his lips, running a hand through his messy black hair. "We're gonna get Snivellus back. He gives me a wedgie, we do something back to him."

I sighed, only seeing how this could go wrong. "How do you want to do that?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "You'll get in trouble."

This is when Sirius chirped in, a wild grin painted on his face. "We prank him back. I suggest the Wet Trousers prank. Y'know, to make it look like he peed himself."

"Very good, Sirius. I like that idea!" James said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder. "Or, we do it on his butt to make it look like he's sh-"

"Stop!" I said, trying not to dissolve into laughter again. "Just... Stop. Guys, look, if you're gonna prank him back, it's got to be on a better level. Why make it look like he's messed himself when you can actually make him... Y'know, mess himself. Not that I condone your stupid idea, of course."

James clapped his hands together, laughing loudly. "That is _perfect,_ Remus. You have a good noodle, y'know that?"

I frowned, slightly confused. "Noodle?" I squinted at him, unfamiliar with the terminology he was using. "What do you mean 'noodle'?"

"Brain, nogin, your smart centre." James shrugged, leaning back in the chair. "Right, boys. Tomorrow we are planning this out - I'm sure we can figure something out in potions tomorrow. Slughorn never doesn't answer questions, no matter how off topic."

So that's what we did. The next day in Slughorn's lesson, we plotted against Severus Snape. I wasn't exactly aware of how Severus, James, and Sirius all came to hate each other, and it wasn't until almost Christmas time that I found out about their exchange on the train to Hogwarts.

I was leaning over my cauldron, following the instructions on the board extremely carefully while James and Sirius plotted. They had paired up together, so by default I was paired with Peter. Now, Peter wasn't brilliant at potions - in fact, he wasn't brilliant at much. Unless you counted charms or History of Magic, but if you didn't, you couldn't really say much for him.

"Hey, Remy." Sirius said, catching my attention. "How do we get the laxatives into ol' Snivellus's morning pumpkin juice? I mean, there has to be a way, right?"

I lifted my shoulders in response. "There is a way, it just needs to be planned carefully. You can't have him catch you putting it in - you could maybe disguise it as a sweet?"

"Nah, too risky. If we did that, someone _else_ might eat it. Snivellus is our prime target, we can't risk any innocent bystanders." Sirius responded, wrinkling his nose. "Dude, is it supposed to be that colour?" He then asked James, looking into the cauldron at the greeny-brown liquid. James shrugged, going pale. "Proffessor! Is the potion supposed to be a greeny-brown colour?"

Slughorn looked up from his desk, a curious look on his face. "Didn't you read the instructions, boys? The liquid should be a blueish silver colour!" He said, bumbling over to the boys, going to peer into their cauldron. "Ah! I see what you've done - you've added too much eye of newt. Now this can easily be counteracted with..."

His voice trailed off and I returned to mine and Peter's potion. We were getting there - but not very well. The liquid was a deep blue, and I looked up at the board again. "Peter, did you add the Aconite?"

"Oh... No, I didn't. Sorry! I'll add it now... How much again?"

* * *

The day dragged on, not many eventful things taking place. Once again, we were in the common room, where we had secured our spot by the warm fire. James and Sirius were huddled over a piece of parchment, discussing their plan of attack for getting Severus back, Peter was working on a piece of transfiguration homework, and had been doing so since classes had finished earlier that day. Myself, on the other hand, was curled up in the seat closest to the fire, a book my mum had sent me open on my lap. She had read it herself, and as always she had passed the books she had enjoyed on to me. This time she had sent me a book about a cat named Gobbolino, a witch's cat - it was a muggle story, so it was not entirely accurate of witches, but it was a rather nice and light read. I was invested in the book, until movement beside me caught my attention.

"Hi, Nona." Sirius said, waving his hand at her. "How'd you find potions today?"

Nona huffed, flicking her hair out of her face. "Me and Hestia - we managed to blow the cauldron up. Not massively, just a bit - but just enough to cause a small fire. Slughorn eventually put it out, though." She pressed her lips together and smiled, sitting down beside James. "It's only our second lesson, and neither of us are naturals at the subject."

James slumped back on the sofa, glancing up at Nona. "Hey, you doing anything this weekend? We have a prank we are in desperate need of pulling off." James said, almost groaning. "We just can't find a way to make it happen."

"What's the prank?" Nona asked, folding her legs and turning to face James. "There are different ways to pull of different pranks. I should know, I've been the subject of my brother's pranks for years."

Sirius lent forward, passing Nona the piece of parchment. "We want to put laxatives in Snivel- Severus's pumpkin juice. We just don't know how."

Nona furrowed her brow, staring at the piece of parchment. "Well, where'd you get the laxatives?" She asked, looking over at Sirius.

"Peter. He gets constipate- OW!" Sirius had began, but was interrupted by a book hitting him over the head. "Oi, what was that for?"

"Please stop talking. Please." Peter asked, leaning down to retrieve his book, before going back to work on his homework, leaving Sirius rubbing his head.

Nona blinked, coughing awkwardly and shifting in her seat. "O... Kay... Well, you just need to put it in his drink. What about a walk by?"

"Walk by?" I asked, "what d'you mean by that?"

"Like you walk by, one of you distracts him while the other puts the laxatives in his drink." Nona shrugged. "Edmond boasts about doing this, I don't know if it really works. You can try it, though."

With a sigh, James took back the parchment. "S'worth a shot, I guess." He said, rubbing a hand over his face, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "We can try it Sunday morning. That's when the post comes, people will be too distracted to notice what we're doing." And with that, James got up, folded the parchment and stuffed it in his cloak pocket. "Now, I'm gonna hit the sack. Night guys."

"Night." We all said, and I put down my book. This weekend was sure going to turn out to be an interesting one - and however it turned out, it would automatically be better than the last weekend.

* * *

Sunday morning came, and we all dressed quickly, racing down to the Great Hall almost immediately. We were later joined by Nona, who informed us that Lily had been sick in the night, and the details were so gruesome I was almost put off my breakfast (and I would have been if waffles weren't being served).

I had opted out of the prank Sirius and James decided to pull on Severus. Instead, I was sitting next to Nona as we watched James, Sirius, and Peter pull of the prank. I glanced away from the boys, looking at Nona, who was busy drowning her pancakes in golden syrup.

"You want pancakes with that golden syrup?"

She scoffed at me. "You sound like my dad." She smirked, shutting the lid. "Want some?"

I shook my head. "Had some already, but that might be hard to see since I don't have a swimming pond of it."

Nona rolled her eyes at me, digging into her pancakes. "Shut up." She said with her mouth full. "Ohmymerlinit'shappening." She mumbled, her words slurring together. She pointed over at the Slytherin table, and my eyes followed. "If this ends badly, I'm leaving. And I'm taking the pancakes with me."

"Because you suggested the idea?"

"Because I suggested the idea."

0"Because you suggested the idea."

We shared a glance, and she chuckled quietly. Turning our focus back to the others, bracing ourselves for the outcome; from our seats, it was hard to see what was exactly going on. With the Gryffindor table and Slytherin table being on opposite sides of the hall, Nona and I were really squinting to see what was going down.

"Okay, I think Sirius and James are talking to him." I said, rising out of my seat a little before Nona pulled me down again.

"Don't let anyone on to what's going on - look, Peter's sneaking up."

"He's weirdly sneaky."

Nona shrugged, raising her eyebrows. "Look, he's got it in!" She squeaked, almost jumping out of her seat. James and Sirius parted ways with Severus as Peter ran off, and two minutes later they were back at the table, laughing and sniggering. That's how it started out in the beginning - harmless pranks. It all escalated in our third year, but for the mean time, it was basically harmless.

"I can't believed that worked." Peter laughed, grinning over the table at us. "That really worked!"

Nona joined in the laughing. "I can't believe it either. You're sneaky, you are." She chuckled, nodding at Peter. "Like, proper sneaky."

"Thanks." Peter said, a look of pride crossing his face. Sirius laughed at him, shoving him jokingly in the shoulder. "Oi!"

Flashing a grin at him, Sirius helped himself to several waffles. "You guys wanna go down to the lake today? It's pretty warm outside."

"Sure." I smiled, cutting part of the waffle on my plate away and eating it. A figure in the distance caught my eye, and looking over I saw it was Severus, running toward the doors of the Great Hall. "Look," I pointed over at Severus. "There he goes."

The others turned to look at him, laughing as he went. "That is a beautiful sight." James laughed, but it hadn't even gotten to the climax of the moment yet when Snape stopped about 2 feet from the doors, and the students behind him burst in a mixture of "ews" and laughter.

"Nah mate," Sirius said, roaring with laughter. "_That_ is a beautiful sight."

Severus ran off, escaping the laughter from the hall. We continued with our breakfast, eating away, and once we were finished we headed down to the lake. The sun's warmth caused us to seek shelter under the tree nearby the lake. Sirius was lying by my feet, his legs on James'. Peter and I were lounging against the tree, and Nona was sitting cross-legged next to James. "You know," she said, staring at the lake. "I've never been able to skip rocks."

Peter sat up at this. "Never?" The look on his face was one of pure shock. "How can you have never gone pebble skipping?"

Nona shrugged. "I live in the city. The only time I've been to a beach is when we go to France, but skipping rocks has never crossed my mind before." Nona said, looking over at Peter. "You look like I just hit you in the face with a beater's bat."

Shaking his head, Peter stood. "C'mon, I'll s-show you how." He smiled, beginning to walk over to the lake. "Come on, then!"

Nona laughed, looking at me. "Alright then, Petey." She grinned, standing and following Peter.

"Don't call me that."

Peter showing Nona how to skip pebbles was entertaining. She just didn't have the knack for it. Every time she tried, the pebble would just make a 'plop' sort of noise and sink to the bottom of the lake.

"It's all in the wrist, Nona!" Peter told her for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Just like in charms. Flick your wrist."

"Stop telling me it's all in the wrist! It must be some sort of dark magic." Nona frowned, trying again. Peter laughed at her, and Nona, getting frustrated, pushed him into the water. James and Sirius burst out in laughter as Peter spluttered.

"What was that for?!" Peter said, his voice going squeaky as he stood up, wiping the water from his face.

Nona thought for a moment. "You were getting on my nerves."

"I was just trying to help you!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I got frustrated."

I don't remember how I got dragged into lake, but it started with James saying something like, "would you two stop arguing?" and laughing at the same time. He had dragged Sirius and I into the lake, where he had proceeded to push Sirius and then me into the water. In revenge, Sirius pushed him down. We spent hours like this, flailing around in the water before McGonagall saw us and told us to get out and go dry off. We laughed all the way back to the common room, and for the first time in my life, I knew what it felt like to have friends.

* * *

**A/N: Done! Here's chapter 2 - I intended it to be out earlier, but exams got in the way and I got super stressed. But here it is! Enjoy and review :) -Amourette **


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